Hello,
My name is Josh Diaz and I am a producer on a new series for the Travel Channel.
We are looking to have our host meet up with a group of Wisconsin-area Spud Gun enthusiasts and have him compete in a spud gun shoot off and discuss spud gun technology. This is the perfect opportunity to show off all of your awesome spud gun creations.
This is a series that celebrates unique hobbies such as yours and we will only show you in a positive light. I have had several discussions with Joel Suprise and he suggested I use this forum to make contact.
Please get back to me as soon as you can.
Thanks.
Josh

How long ago did you speak to Joel about this?
I spoke with Joel for the first time last week when I came across the website Spudtech.com. I misread the site and thought he still owned it. I was specifically looking in Wisconsin or things to feature on the series and called him immediately when I came across spud guns. He explained that he no longer ran the site but was still minimally involved with spud guns. I spoke with him about the possibility of filming him with a gathering of spud gun enthusiasts. He was receptive to the idea but since I need to have this shoot happen within the next month his availability was an issue. He suggested I go through this site to try to get a group of Wisconsin spud gunners together for the show.

Why would a "travel channel" want to know about our hobby?
This is a new series for The Travel Channel that follows the host as he goes across the country taking on physical challenges. Along the way he will also take part in fun events from organized fairs to backyard gatherings. The building of spud guns is an unusual and very interesting hobby which has a unique visual element that makes it perfect for TV and this show in particular. I am sorry I haven't revealed the name of this show but I would like to keep that private since the series has not aired yet.

Are you willing to clear every question, comment and guest that you plan to air to the public on the "show" through administration here at Spudfiles?
I can provide a release that states that we will not be showing the hobby or the individuals involved in a negative light but I can not grant final approval to an outside party. I would rely on the administration of spudfiles to help me show the hobby in a positive way.

I am eager to move forward with this. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

I've seen worse on similar shows (Enthusiasts shooting at exploding targets comes to mind). I doubt you would have any problems in this regard, still, portraying the hobby in a positive light is a concern to most of us who participate.

Needless to say, I think the ammo used for said gathering should be confined to produce like spuds, baby carrots, etc. The image we portray would be a bit skewed if we were shooting marbles, ball bearings, lead bullets, etc.

Anyone who participates would most likely need to sign a release form, it may be prudent to post that up for us to read prior to participating in any such event.

Honestly though, Wisconsin, while it does have some spudders, doesn't have nearly as many as other states do, it's like looking for pro-snowboarders in Florida.

Josh, you would possibly be better off finding out where the bigger concentrations of spudders are, and try to get your network to foot the bill to get your crew there if you want a good segment to go to air. Not that Wisconsin wouldn't work, but it may not be the largest group of spudders. Of course, permits for filming are easier to get, and there are lots of advantages to producing TV or film segments here (just ask the team behind Public Enemies) So I can see why Wisconsin appeals to you (Especially in the sense that you are the producer of this project, right?)

I've worked in broadcasting and publishing when I was younger. Things work a certain way in the business. JR, I understand you wanting the media to portray us a certain way, but spudfiles doesn't hold a copyright on spudding in general. If they want to shoot this in Wisconsin, in a particular way, it's probably going to happen with or without spudfiles. You should honestly be thankful they considered you as a consultant, and that they want your input. if it's to be successful, you should be as involved in this process as possible, and not burn bridges.

This is an opportunity for the hobby to gain acceptance and positive public relations. If you shut out spudfiles from the equation, we can only wonder who they will bring in to fill the void; possibly someone who doesn't have the hobby's best interests in mind.

Just some things to consider.

BTW, Josh, what does your shooting schedule look like? When would this gathering need to happen? Could you give us a rough timeframe? it may make things easier if we knew when we had to have this event organized. I would assume sometime in fall. Winter would be no good in wisconsin, unless of course you would prefer to shoot a segment on the local ice fishing derby

Hi Big E,
Thanks for replying.
We need to shoot this episode in October. The only days that are not doable are October 1-4 and October 13-17. We have a few other locations that we are trying to shoot at in Wisconsin for this show so scheduling will be tight.
I was hoping that once I had a response from a significant number (10-20) of WI spud gun enthusiasts we could figure out the best place and time to do this.

I think he's asking simply about the spudgun section of the show.
I'd be interested to see it myself, but as I'm not in Wisconsin (not even in the States), nor do I have access to the Travel channel, that seems like a highly unlikely situation, given the requirements to keep copyright content protected.

Shame.

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I have to say I think it's unlikely you're going to get a huge number of replies, mostly because of the typical age group of our forum.